[ merry christmas to those who celebrate. also i know i'm writing bella a little ooc but i think she'd genuinely be different if she grew up with a sibling. she wouldn't be quite as awkward ]
☽︎
SHE GETS DRESS-CODED ALL THE TIME.
IT WAS AMUSING TO THE GUARD AS THE VOLTURI KINGS CROWDED AROUND ARO'S NEW PHONE, watching the video that Demetri had sent them. Because Demetri couldn't reveal himself to the humans, the video of their mate at the so-called cheerleading practice was taken from behind, and they couldn't even see her face, which Caius and Marcus hated, knowing Aro had an advantage over them because he saw her in Alice's memories. At the very least, Aro took kindness on his Soul Brothers and pointed out the smaller girl that was being lifted by three other girls.
"I believe that to be her."
"She is far too high off the ground," Caius said, frowning deeply. "Humans are fragile, Aro."
Felix seemed to agree because, in the background of the video, you could hear him complaining about how dangerous it was.
"Brother, I believe she quite enjoys the sport," Marcus said, knowing getting in the way of it would aggravate Jackie. Then he watched as their mate brought her leg up by her head, seemingly very flexible. "Perhaps we could learn to enjoy it too."
Aro scoffed playfully and then moved on to the message from Jane. It contained a picture of this cheerleading uniform, which was hanging on the back of Jackie's door in her bedroom. She said she'd discovered it the night before, and Aro knew Caius in particular would hate it, which put a smile on his face. Besides, it certainly piqued his personal interest.
"She prances about in that?" Caius asked, his eyebrows raising to his hairline nearly.
It was a cropped blue and yellow tank top with a short skirt that had panels not even sewn together, meaning her thighs would be exposed with each swish of her hips. And though he secretly wished to see her in it — despite not even knowing what she really looked like — he didn't want anyone else to see her in such clothes.
"Jane has explained that this is what they wear to school on game days when they have sporting events," Aro explained, reading the text.
"She—"
"Brother," Marcus cut him off while also sighing. "She is a modern woman, and we have not left these walls in years to see how the world has developed. I suspect if she can wear this in the walls of her schooling establishment, then it is quite proper."
"I don't care," he said stubbornly while reaching for his own phone to send a text — a command — to Jackie. "She cannot wear it. Not in the presence of such vile human boys who do not know how to control their thoughts and actions."
Aro shared a look with Marcus, having seen plenty of her spitfire attitude in Edward's mind, and he just shook his head, giving up.
No way was this going to end well, and it would likely drive a frustrating wedge between Jack and Caius since they had yet to meet.
☽︎
All the vampires heard the annoyed huff that left Jack's mouth as she let herself into the Cullen home, having to go there to find her sister. Because Charlie was working late, she was yet again breaking the rules of her grounding to be with Edward, not that her sister cared.
"Bella!" Jackie called while heading up to the living room. Her guards opted to stay outside because they couldn't stand the Cullens. "And maybe Alice and Rose!"
All three girls were waiting in the living room with expectant looks, and Rosalie raised an eyebrow when she saw the clear dry cleaning back that contained Jackie's familiar cheerleading uniform.
"What's up?" Bella asked, who was leaning on Edward's shoulder. The mind reader was already laughing, seeing into her annoyed thoughts.
"I can't sew," she said, holding the hanger with the uniform out. "I need you to help me make my skirt shorter. Jane sent a picture of my uniform, and the mean one said it was too short to wear in public, so fuck that guy."
"Disgusting," Rosalie said with a grimace. Emmett would never try and dictate what she wore. Alice however? All the time.
"Right! Like, you have no say on what I put on my body — mate or not. So, wanna help?"
"Absolutely," Alice squealed, already flitting off to get her sewing machine.
"It's already really short, babe," Bella noted, looking more amused than judgemental. "And they're so ancient they probably expect more modesty. You'll give him a heart attack."
She just shrugged and went to sit by Rose. "Well, then I'd be free from a third of the mate bond."
Edward frowned and shook his head. "I wouldn't call it free," he spoke up. "When you lose a true mate, even if one is human, the aftereffects never fade. You'll always feel... an aching emptiness inside of you. You'll never be happy again. It's recorded that some humans have even died from the heartbreak."
Jackie looked at him with wide eyes, unable to believe the guard hadn't mentioned that when she asked. "Well, shit," she muttered. "Glad I didn't decide to fight it or anything."
"We would've helped you if you had chosen to reject them, though," Rosalie said, wanting her to always know she had a choice.
"How short are we thinking?" Alice asked as she returned to the room. "Just half an inch, or are we talking cheeks poking out?"
"Alice," Edward sighed, shaking his head. "She will get dress-coded."
"She gets dress-coded all the time," she said, rolling her eyes. Then she grabbed the uniform and smiled devilishly at it. "Pants off, Jackie. I've got work to do."
From outside, Demetri and Felix listened in nervously, knowing Caius was going to be furious — Aro might be as well once he saw the changes and realized she really was going out in it. Alec didn't care all that much, and Jane didn't even bother to hide her grin, her opinion of the future queen improving greatly as she stood up for herself.
☽︎
"Perfect," Jackie beamed while staring at herself in the mirror in Rosalie's room.
Rosalie snickered while cleaning up the stray pieces of thread on the floor. "They're gonna see your whole ass before they see your face."
"Aro's seen her," Bella pointed out, a frown on her face. "Not the others though."
"Which, you could just send them a picture of you," Alice pointed out while admiring her work.
Jackie just waved them off while smoothing the fabric of the skirt down. "If I don't get to see them, they can't see me."
"But there's a painting with them in it in Carlisle's office," Bella spoke up, a frown on her face. If it were her, she'd be dying to know what her mate looked like. "Wait, you've seen the painting."
"I wasn't paying attention. Edward's very boring," Jackie informed her before tossing her phone to her sister.
"Rude," Edward called from the hallway. Never wanting to be far from Bella, he'd been waiting outside for them to finish.
"So is eavesdropping, you mind-reading freak."
"Jokes on you," he snorted, used to her teasing by now. "You're gonna fall in love with a mind-reading freak too."
"Damn," Bella mused, "we really are twins."
☽︎
It was Aro, not Caius, who picked up the blonde's phone that he'd forgotten in their shared study, receiving the video from their mate. The king curiously tilted his head, eyes skimming the vulgar text message.
I wear what I fucking want.
Rather than call his brother, Aro simply pressed play on the video. He watched with interest as Jackie appeared on screen, her face just out of frame. Some part of Aro was thrilled by that, knowing he was still the only one to see her angelic face, even if only through Edward's memories.
In the video, his little human mate was wearing the cheerleading uniform that'd been previously on the back of her door. But Aro was fairly certain the skirt was somehow shorter, and as Jackie swayed her hips, the panels of the skirt parted, exposing the smooth skin of her thighs and the pair of tight underwear that was the same color as the fabric of her uniform. She did a few more simple stunts, each one exposing more and more skin, practically torturing the vampire when she fell down into an effortless split on the ground. The last thing she did before the video ended was raise her middle finger, it clearly aimed at Caius for telling her she couldn't wear the uniform.
Aro shamelessly watched the video once more, eyes following the curve of her ass and the way her top rode up when she raised her hands. Then he blinked a few times to clear his head before deciding to make a call.
Jack wasn't exactly surprised when she saw Caius' contact appear on her screen — she was still hanging out in Rosalie's room, who helped her film the ordeal that must have pissed him off. Emmett was in the room with them and had been throwing a football back and forth with the human while Rosalie watched, just hoping they didn't break anything in her room.
With a wicked grin, Jackie answered the call, rolling onto her back as she looked at the ceiling. "You rang, Oh Violent One?" Emmett snickered at the nickname while Rosalie just smirked.
"I'm afraid I'm not quite as short-tempered as my dear brother," an unfamiliar voice said. Jackie tensed up in an instant, thinking the deep and accented voice was quite alluring.
"Is this not Caius?" she asked, surprised by how easily his name fell from his lips. "It's his number."
"It is. He's abandoned his phone for the time being, though. He's off with Marcus."
"So, that makes you Aro," she said before turning her nose up a bit. "The one that never texts back."
Aro chuckled a bit, hearing the attitude in her tone. He liked it. "And I must apologize for that, Tesoro. I'm kept quite busy."
"Yeah, what with the murder and such."
"Exactly," he said, and she could hear the smirk on his lips. If only she could picture it. "I must say I was quite surprised by the video you sent Caius. Perhaps I ought to delete it before he watches it to spare you from his wrath."
"I think I can handle his temper tantrum," she said, rolling her eyes. "Make sure to show it to him. Marcus too. I don't want there to be any confusion about what kind of girl I am, Aro. I'll wear what I want whenever I want, got it? I don't care if you complain."
Aro chuckled, thinking back on the video. "Oh, trust me, il mio più caro—"
"I don't know what that means," she cut him off. She looked to Emmett, who just shrugged, also not knowing. Then she looked to Rosalie, who sighed and shook her head. She knew Italian but wasn't going to be caught helping the Volturi kings flirt.
"You'll learn our tongue in time, cara mia," Aro said. And it was a good thing Edward took Bella home because the more promiscuous side of Jackie took that the wrong way. "And I was going to say that I quite enjoyed the video. I'm beginning to understand the appeal of cheerleaders. I felt quite motivated."
There was a teasing hint in his tone that made Jackie smile.
"Though I'm sure my brothers will be disappointed that your face isn't visible," he added.
"Well," Emmett said with a smirk, "she didn't want you looking at her face."
Jack laughed while throwing a pillow at Emmett. "Get out," she ordered, making him roll his eyes as he left. Then she went back to the call. "But he's not wrong. Besides, if I can't see you, then you can't see me."
"But I have seen you, cara, in Edward and Alice's memories. You are the most breathtaking creature I've ever laid eyes on," he complimented.
"Did you just call me a fucking creature?" she asked bluntly, which made Rosalie cover her mouth to stifle her laugh. "You're the one that they literally make monster movies about."
"My apologies," Aro said quickly, unable to tell if she was really upset or not — she wasn't.
And though they couldn't see each other — though she didn't even know him — Jackie could sense he was concerned about her feelings. So, she was quick to assure him that it was alright. "Don't worry," she said, the corners of her lips turning up. "I've been called worse by Edward — cretin, gremlin, menace to society."
"Yes, I'm aware of your hatred for Edward."
Jackie frowned and rolled onto her stomach. "It's not that I hate him. I liked him well enough before — he's fun to bicker with and tease. But the way he left my sister without making sure she was okay was inexcusable. And evidently, I'm going to have an eternity to torment him about it to make sure he never forgets. I expect you and your brothers to help me with that."
Inside, Aro was thrilled. Even without meeting, Jackie had confirmed she was accepting an eternity at their sides, a life of vampirism. In Edward's memories, he'd seen her general lack of regard for anything supernatural. She was all in all uninterested in vampires and knew very little about them other than that the Cullens ate animals and had powers. She didn't even know how the venom worked or that they didn't sleep. She just never bothered to ask questions like her sister.
"Well, Marcus and I would never deny you, and you won't have to even ask Caius. He's quite fond of tormenting," Aro said in a teasing tone that made her smile. She liked that he sounded happy.
"Oh, I've heard Carlisle's stories. You're all fond of it," Jackie said with a grin.
Aro sighed then, worried that Carlisle had painted them in the worst of lights despite being friends. It was almost like Jackie could sense his worries again, and she was easing them in seconds.
"I know you guys aren't big evil villains just because you live off human blood," she said in a soft tone. "Carlisle wouldn't have stayed with you for so long if so. And he only left because he wanted a family that lived like he did. You don't have to worry about me being scared of you."
"I do hope you continue to feel that way."
"Trust me, unless you sprout extra legs and turn into a spider, I'll never fear you guys — to the point it might actually get on your nerves."
☽︎
Jackie was in her room now, and not alone. Jane was studying one of her textbooks from school with interest — she and Alec had never been to school. If they weren't violent little hell beasts, Jack might have suggested they enroll in middle school just for fun.
"This chapter on Christopher Columbus should be burned from each copy," the girl muttered, rolling her eyes. Then she looked to Jackie, who stayed silent. She'd been looking at her math homework but hadn't written anything in some time. "Is something bothering you, My Qu — Jackie?"
After a second, Jackie sighed and pushed her work to the side. "Aro called me earlier."
"I know. Demitri informed us when we got back from hunting," she said simply. Jane didn't understand why Jackie looked distressed, as her fellow guard made it sound like things went well during the phone call. "Are you displeased with the call?"
She shook her head and then ran a hand through her brown hair. "No, I didn't want it to end. Isn't that kind of fucked up? I don't know him. Don't know the other kings. But just talking to Aro made me feel... shit, it was gross and mushy. I could've fallen asleep just listening to his voice."
"It's not... fucked up," Jane said, hesitating to use the language. Not much cursing went on in Volterra. "You are a human. You do not understand the pull of the mate bond — not fully at least. But this is only the beginning. When my masters visit and meet you, it will only grow. Being near them will bring you the greatest joy. It will improve your health and energy, your happiness. And if you feel this way already, then no double, Master Aro is just as pleased from the short talk. It would bode well for the others to speak verbally with you as well."
Much like every other girl in her generation, Jackie wasn't fond of talking on the phone. She'd rather text or speak face to face but figured she could make the small sacrifice for her mates. After all, they'd gotten phones for her — might as well make sure they're using them correctly.
☽︎
Marcus' heart didn't beat, but he swore it sped up when his cell phone rang, cutting off his conversation with Caius about the most recent execution. After all, only one person had the number, so he didn't have to check and see who it was.
"Answer it," Caius snapped before Marcus could even pick up the device. He knew as well as he did who it was.
"I'm obviously going to answer it," he said, rolling his eyes before answering the call. He had no need to put it on speaker phone with Caius' enhanced hearing. "Hello, il mio tesoro."
"Marcus, you know I don't know what that means," the most beautiful voice replied. "It had better not be anything mean."
"Oh, you must know by now that I am the mean one, amore," Caius said with a smirk on his perfect face. Marcus simply elbowed him for getting in the middle of his phone call with their mate.
"Ask Edward — I'm meaner," Jack teased.
"Perhaps we shall put that to the test when we meet," Caius replied in a flirty tone that made Marcus roll his eyes again.
"And what have I done for you to honor me with a call?" Marcus questioned, hoping everything was alright in Forks.
"You didn't have to do anything," Jackie said in a softer tone. "Actually, you should give Jane a pay raise because she suggested I speak with you."
From the other end of the line, both vampire kings heard one of their most powerful guard's muffled voice saying, "We don't receive payment."
"They don't pay you?" Jackie asked, clearly appalled as she pulled her face further from the phone to look toward Jane. Then she was back on the phone, addressing her mates. "You don't fucking pay them?"
"Mia cara, I can assure you that the guard want for nothing when living within the walls of our castle," Marcus assured her. "Lodging, clothes, blood."
Again, Jackie was speaking to Jane. "You guys should unionize. No wonder your brother can't afford to replace my DS."
Caius, wishing to have her attention on him once more, cleared his throat. "Jacqueline—"
"Jackie," she cut him off, hating her name.
He simply hummed, not yet ready to compromise on that. "How is your day going so far, love?"
"Oh, just great," she said, and Marcus was the only one to pick up on the snark in her tone. "Had a great breakfast, spent some time making Edward feel like shit, and then I had some help making my cheerleading skirt even shorter."
Caius' red eyes narrowed, torn between wanting to yell at her and see her in the skirt — boy, did he have a surprise waiting for him that Aro had yet to delete. "Cara, I don't believe it could get any shorter."
"You'd be surprised," she said, smirking on the other end.
"It's improper," he said stiffly.
"And I'm not proper," she countered. "Start learning that now, or we're gonna have problems when I come to Italy."
At the mere mention of her coming to stay with them, all of Caius' annoyance faded. And Marcus let out a needless breath of relief, already feeling lighter by the prospect of meeting her face to face.
"And you shall be treated like the queen that you are when you arrive," Marcus told her, ready to shower her in love and affection. "Though I fear I do not want to wait so long for you."
"Then I guess you'll just have to come to me," Jackie told him. "Carlisle mentioned you all might visit. I wouldn't hate that. But Caius, be sure to come on a Thursday — that's when the basketball games I cheer at happen."
"Oh, do stop teasing him, tesoro," Marcus said, grinning as Caius huffed childishly. "He's never done well when challenged."
"You really shouldn't have told me that," Jack admitted, her smirk growing.
"Why's that?" Caius questioned.
"I'm gonna ruin your life."
"Something tells me you already have."